Securing Bracket

Abstract

A securing bracket for holding the user-settings made using user-selections on adjustors that come with a machine vision camera is disclosed. The securing bracket mounts to the camera itself. When properly mounted, the adjustors are prevented from spinning, unscrewing, or changing settings due to vibration and thus remain in place. The securing bracket comprises a spine and a plurality of hinged arms each having a bracket pivot. The hinged arms may be stacked vertically where for example one hinged arm secures a lens-adjustor, one hinged arm secures an iris-adjustor, and one hinged arm secures a focus-adjustor.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]FIGS. 1A-1B (Prior Art) show a conventional machine vision camera. Typical machine vision cameras can have many adjustable features, but three common adjustable machine vision features comprise lens, iris, and focus. To make adjustments, the camera bodies are typically equipped with circular adjustors that rotate about a linear axis of the camera body, and can be hand-operated to adjust either a lens, iris, or focus, among other adjustments. Within this disclosure, these will be referred to as camera-adjustors, but at times will be referred to as lens-adjustors, iris-adjustors, and focus-adjustors.[0002]Under normal circumstances, once these adjustors are set, they can largely be expected to remain in place. However, when a machine vision camera is mounted on a robot or other environment having vibration or movement, these camera adjustors can unscrew or shake loose from the camera-body. With the higher vibrations, the threading and fastening of the ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a securing bracket for a machine vision camera that prevents the adjustors from spinning, unscrewing, or changing settings due to vibration. The bracket is designed to mount to the camera and secure the adjustors in place. The bracket uses hinged arms and a spine to hold the adjustors in place. This prevents the camera from being mounted on a robot or other environment with vibration or movement. The bracket is effective and easy to use, and solves the problem of thumbscrews and set screws being inadequate for securely holding the adjustors.

Problems solved by technology

However, when a machine vision camera is mounted on a robot or other environment having vibration or movement, these camera adjustors can unscrew or shake loose from the camera-body.

With the higher vibrations, the threading and fastening of the adjustors just gives out.

However, this doesn't work well, as thumbscrews are inadequate.

Within conventional machine vision camera usage, thumbscrews are often used to secure the adjustors, but this is ineffective.

Thumbscrews are often poorly machined, strip easily, or just come loose with the vibration.

Self-locking thumb-screws may exist, but such items require both more space and more depth than typical thumb screws.

The problem is there's not very many threads available, due to minimal depth / thickness.

It's not easy to find the set screw with the proper pitch, and also the proper grade of thread.

Consequently, set screws are just not very strong mechanically and are designed more for static (non-motion) environments.

If so, that adjustor may never be usable for anything else again, because the substrates are really small and the adjustors are not meant to have exposure to adhesives.

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